Improvement in boot-jacks



TS.' Boot-*Jacki Qn mmm Patented Aug'.- 20, 1878.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JESSE ROBERTS, OF LEON, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOOT-JACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,209, dated August 20, 1878 application filed January 25, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J EssE ROBERTS, of Leon, in the county of Decatur and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boot-Jacks, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to produce a boot-jack wherein the rear ends of the jaws for holding the boot also serve as springs for throwing said ends inward, which object great-ly simplifies the construction and prevents the boot-jack from becoming useless by the accidental derangenient of the parts.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improved boot-jack. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of it. Fig. .Lis atransversen section on the line w w of Fig. 3.

The tread or rest A is raised up on its front end on the feet a, so as to be placed in an inclined position in the usual manner. Below the rest A is placed a pair of jaws, B B', preferably made of steel. These jaws are pivoted to the foot-piece A' by means ofthe pivot-pins b. The rear ends of the jaw-pieces B B' lie below the board or plate forming the rest A, and are secured to the said rest by the transverse supports or straps C, C1, a-nd C2.

The inner ends of the jaw-levers B and B' at d and d' are formed into the springs D D', so as to push the said ends d and d' together, and the jaw-pieces being fulcrumed at b, so as to act as levers, the front or jaw ends of the said pieces B and B' will habitually be eX- tended apart to their widest limit.

A spreader, E, formed of a V-shaped rod attachment to the bottom side of the rest A, is placed between the levers B B', as shown best in Figs. 3 and 4. The sides of this piece habitually rest against the inside faces of the pieces B and B', against which the latter slides up and down, the springs D and D' acting to slide the levers down to the bottom of the said piece E when the jack is not in use; but when the same is in use the boot-heel will be placed between the jaws B B', and then the other foot pushed down upon the top of the tread or rest A, which action will force down the Wedgeshaped piece E between the said levers B B',-

behind the pivot-points b, and so force the front ends of the said levers or jaws tightly against the sides of the boot-heel within their grasp, and thereby hold it firmly in the jack, which is the desired object of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I desire to claim- The jaw-levers B and B', having their ends d d' formed into the springs D and D', in combination with the spreader E, rest A, with straps O, O1, and O2, and foot-piece A', with pivot-pin b, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' JESSE ROBERTS.

Witnesses WM. LEE, L. P. SIGLER. 

